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Entertainment www.parkworld-online.com “ 2


the side that seems unable to put the focus on the guests who will one day populate the park or the attraction. And while the A&E side have many rules that must be followed (restroom size, door widths, back of house roads, height limitations, set back requirements – the list is quite endless and all of which must be attended to eventually) but focusing on these elements up front generally leads to a sterile end product. On the entertainment and show side of things we have


no systematic “rules” for achieving success and we have no “design book” that specifies “must have an entertaining element every 15 meters, or for every “land” there must be at least three dynamic and exciting rides or shows.” So in an effort to provide at least a foundation for the most important part of creating a new theme park, I devised the five E’s to provide a kind-of guide map for developers as they get into the challenging area of creating entertaining and successful theme parks and attractions. You will find that these rules apply to resorts, casinos, and all forms of other leisure and hospitality projects as well. So let’s review my checklist that, in my opinion, is equally if not more important than the size of the restrooms, the width of the streets, the location of the kitchens, and the roofing plans. Not that all of those are not important, it’s just that if people are not engaged or entertained, everything else if for naught. So here’s a checklist for anyone creating, designing, or building a theme park now or in the future. Check your project against these Five E’s:


1


Emotion: This is the most important element. The goal is to create an emotional bridge between the people and the place. Emotion is what brings people back. Never forget, the attractions business is show business,


OCTOBER 2017 45


The “Five E’s” may seem obvious, and yet, in many of


the newest theme parks and attractions that have opened in the last few years, and that are now opening around the world, a good deal of them are lacking in some of these very critical areas.


and just as with successful movies, Broadway shows, or television programs, a successful theme park must make an emotional connection with the audience. If your guests are not laughing, shouting, crying, or cheering as they exit your rides, shows and events, you have a problem.


Environment: Take visitors to someplace they could never experience outside of the park, and better yet, that they cannot experience at other parks.


The era of copying Disney’s parks, or of creating “themed international streets” is really just about over. You need to take people into immersive “worlds” that offer surprises, charm, and wonder. We have created a new term – a different kind of virtual reality that we call “parallel reality” – and it means it’s a “real world” that exists in parallel to our own, but one that immerses us in ways no other medium can. Set the stage and bring guests into it in a way that is intuitive and inviting. Understand that entertainment design is an art and a science, but of the two, more of an art. Theming alone is not enough – things must “happen” within these areas. The world we create must not be sterile, but should feel ‘lived in’ and have something different and unique about it. Whether such attractions or lands are based upon an IP or are wholly original, these rules apply. And equally important keep the “park” in “theme park,” providing more flowers, trees, and landscape and less cement, plastic, and hardscape.


3


Excitement: In the design of each place or of each attraction, there has to be some element (or elements) that delight, amuse, or surprise. A sterile


“themed” land is one devoid of life, and we see many of these “lands” in too many theme parks around the world today. Strive for originality, for quality, for variety, and


Left: Terminator 2: 3D, Universal


Below: Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Universal





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